Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Okay, here is the matter which we debate, my husband and I, when ever the subject kitchen machine comes up. Is the Kitchen Aid machine as good (or bad) as people say?? My husband is not positive about it at all!

Is it just the design and the brand which you pay - a lot! - for, or does the machine really work as well as some people say??

We are going to get some kind of kitchen machine, so I can start baking some more again. I can't knead dough very well any longer, and that annoys me so...I would much rather have my hands in the dough and do the work myself.

I would really love to hear your opinion and experiences with this machine. Or maybe you can tell me about a totally different machine, which is much better. :)

Sunday, May 29, 2011

While looking for beautiful sewing patterns on Vogue patterns, I became aware of the fact that some of their patterns were on sale.

The black one above is a dress which I have been fond of for a long time. We looked at it as possibility for Anne-Sophie's gala dress, and I remember that a Hanne made the dress once for her niece.

This time I had to have the pattern - and that without a special occassion in mind.

Another dress caught my eye. It was the extremely elegant white dress you see below. The fabulous fit and the lovely collar are both things which convinced me that i had to buy that pattern as well.

Sadly it was rather expencive to get the 2 patterns shipped to Denmark, so I ended up paying more for that than for the actual items!

I have a secret dream. I really would like to sew a white dress for Anne-Sophie for when she becomes a student, but I haven't decided wheter to do it or not. It should be a surprise.
But on the other hand I think, that she should have the possibility to decide on a dress herself.

Hmmmm...I will have to think long and hard to figure that out. Maybe I'm ready when the patterns reach my mailbox.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Originally I had decided that these new materials, which I got today, were meant for certain projects.

The gorgeous, Italian yarn in cotton and flax from Garnudsalg, was going to become a summer something for me, and the grey fabric with flowers was for a tunic - for me as well.
The fabric is from Free Spirit and is called Shadow Play Pink. (I had expected the flowers to be tiny so I got a bit dissapointed when I saw that they were actually as big as a screw cap on a soft drink).

But to get back on track,this is what happened when I put the things on our little table after unpacking them. I accidently put the yarn on top of the fabric, and right away I saw tiny baby trousers and a fine little knitted sweater before my eyes. The materials go so well together with their dusty, pastel colours.

Now, I haven't decided what to make - I need to give it an extra thought. But isn't it funny how planned projects change to something completely different in the blink of eye?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

After many hours of work, the little dress with Cathy's girls is finished.

I was a bit worried that I had put too many pockets on the dress, but now that it's done I feel okay about it.

The linen I used for the dress itself, is some of my favourite fabric. I love how it's a bit rough looking and how it looks as if it has been washed a million times. I used to have the fabric in dark blue as well, but what on earth happened to that? I can't remember...

If I see this particular fabric again, I will definitely buy some more of it, and make a little something for myself.

I also got to use my new pink tags for the first time. They were supposed to be without an iron on effect, but they were not. However I decided to keep them and see how they worked. I must say that they didn't stick to the fabric at all - and I did use a very hot iron.

If you want to have a closer look at the embroidered girls on the pockets, you can go to my flickr. It has been so fun to embroider another one of Cathy's lovely patterns. This one is very special though as it is her own 3 beautiful girls she has drawn.

I hope that Cathy decides to send out new patterns for us to buy and enjoy. That would make my day. But I know that she is busy working on a book about little doll quilts, so she probably has enogh to think about at the moment.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

After being a bit nervous about it all, Emil finally went with a great part of his family to the church and got his confirmation.

He said a loud and clear yes in the big church room, and we all smiled and felt so proud of Emil as he came to his seat in his new clothes. Proud that Emil is Emil.

Afterwards we had a lovely day. Just as relaxed, happy and playful as Emil had hoped for. And luckily the sun decided to shine most of the day, so we had gorgeous weather for playing and being outside in between the food.

Emil was definitely one happy and tired young man, when we returned home.

I feel so grateful and overwheled by all the love and joy, which was given from dear family and friends to Emil on his big day. None of us could have asked for more on that fine, fine day...

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

You already know that I love children's clothes, which are made from different and unique patterns. Some which aren't seen in the streets all the time here in Denmark. And some which children like to wear with gusto.

A while ago I found some beautiful patterns to knit - this time from France as well.

The patterns immediately enthused me and I had to see more. So I went to their website and got even more excited about their work.

If you think that it all looks a bit familiar, then you are right. The knitting patterns are designed by Luluguitare (Caróle de Marne) and c'est Dimanche, and I adore the way the knits and the sewn things compliment each other.

The patterns can be bought as kits and a few of them are even in English. But you can also buy a brand new book with a lot of the patterns.

Monday, May 16, 2011

So many gorgeous people - friends and family, have been at my house to wish me a happy birthday.
And sweet people have written to me as well, to wish me a wonderful day. A dear friend of mine even sang a very special - and funny - song to me. All the way from England.

I feel so lucky to have them all around me. . .a day like this truely makes me happy and warm inside.

I have gotten lots of hugs and lots of gorgeous flowers and presents. I have been spoiled indeed. A very fine and tasty birthday cake was made for me by Anne-Sophie and Tim - with Oreos on top!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

A long time ago when Anne-Sophie read a blogpost of mine, and saw that I had ordered the Palermo pattern, she asked me if I would sew one for Tim's nephew. It was meant to be a birthday present for when he turns 3 years old.

Of course I couldn't turn that down and this is how it ended up. It's tomorrow that Linus will celebrate his birthday, so I thought that I would take a few pictures of it before it gets wrapped up and given away.

When we bought the fabric for Anne-Sophie's dress, she found a lovely pale blue linen for the Palermo shirt. And somehow this kind of fabric is the perfect one for the pattern. I can easily picture it in white linen as well, worn with jeans and little brown feet.

Or perhaps it would look great in white and grass green Gingham. I would love that!

The patterns has some smart details - and I'm crazy about cool and simple details (which you probably have heard me say before!)

The white buttons down the front are actually fake. So they can't button and unbutton. But maybe you wonder how on earth one gets a child's head through the shirt then?
You just unbutton the 2 tiny press studs which are hidden under the shoulder pieces - right there under the pointy part. If you look real hard, you can see the press studs in the closeup photo above.

I hope that Linus and his parents will like the shirt. I think that the fit will be perfect for a happy and active 3 yeard old. Lots of freedom to move and no tight fit.

But I do think that the racing set which Tim and Anne-Sophie are giving Linus as well, will be the top spot of the day. And that's exactly the way it should be...

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

These tiny flags are to be used for Emils confirmation. They are so simple to make - masking tape is absolutely a gorgeous thing!

They are going to hang on branches - without leaves - which we will spray paint white and put in vases on the tables. Along with the flags the little skateboards are going to hang there as well. That is if it all looks all right together...

We are having quite a few red-letter days this summer. This Monday I turn 40, the following Friday it's Emils party and in the end of June, we can celebrate Anne-Sophie when she becomes a student.

My birthday will be oh so quiet. That's just how I like it, and for now I find it a lot more important to use my energy on preparing a wonderful day for Emil.
And when things settle down again over summer, then I might do something about the fact that I no longer are in my thirties (age has never been an issue to me before, but all of a sudden I think that 40 years sounds different in the wrong way!)

Embroidered buttons definitely inspire me as well. I'm a huge fan of Birthine's buttons. They are little pieces of art each and everyone. You can also find them on flickr - she actually makes some from ceramic as well.

But I guess that the ones I love the most, are ordinary oldfashioned white linen buttons like the one you see below (from Stofstedet) .
Their simple look make everything look better, and I remember how I used to play with my mother's linen buttons. Maybe that's the reason why I love them so much...

Thursday, May 05, 2011

Sadly the dress had a whole different shape than I expected it to have - I thought that it would be an A-line shape, but instead it had the shape of a V. Arghhh!!! I was so dissapointed.

And as for the Petticoat, we almost got a shock when we saw the colour of it. We had seen the photo with the soft and very pastel coloured skirt, but in real life it was a peachy color, close to being luminous.

So those two online purchases were not succesful at all. The dress has been sent back to the shop, but the Petticoat is still here with us - lying in a chair and almost shining like a torch!

The gala dress is coming along niecly, and I think that I will be done with it tomorrow. However, we have been compelled to have a gala dress backup, due to the unfortunate skirt. Luckily Anne-Sophie has bought several dresses to wear on all the many coming days, when she and her friends will celebrate that they have become students. A beautiful short vintage dress from the USA is her other option, and that one goes perfectly with her shoes as well.

But only time will tell us which dress she has to wear on the gala night...

Monday, May 02, 2011

Oh, it has been a nightmare to get one. At first we searched and searched for shops in Denmark, but the only ones we could find, had cheasy petticoats in horrible colours.

Then we found a beautiful white petticoat in the USA through etsy. And we all drew a sigh of relief - eventhough we had to pay 250 Danish kroners in shipping charges to get the petticoat in time for the gala.

But oh no...when I hadn't heard from the etsy seller this Sunday, I knew that we had to find another solution.

I tried to look up the word petticoat again, and all of a sudden google showed me a Danish page I hadn't come across before.

Photo from Femme Fatale.dk

So today the beautiful petticoat got ordered and paid for - Anne-Sophie will get the one in the middle of the picture. It's coral colored like the dress, but only in a lighter shade.
And tomorrow the seller will send it our way.